A Lesson in Greek Goddesses
by hello-andrea
Summary: At the beginning of his sixth year at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy meets a most peculiar red headed girl who refuses to tell him her name and has the Dark Mark on her wrist. Determined to unravel the mystery that is her, he begins to get to know her and ultimately, fall in love with her. -Rated M for Mature-


_Andrea's Note: This is my Draco/OC story that I really very much enjoy that I made myself. I am very proud of it. I hope you like it as well. It takes place over the course of a full school year and then some. I really hope you enjoy it!_

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. I do not own Harry Potter itself; it belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I do, however "own" my original character.**

"Fuckin' hell," She whispered to herself as she smoked a cigarette in the Hogwarts compartment of the train. "You don't talk much do you?"

"You can't smoke here," He said, his jaw clenched.

She let out a tinkling laugh. "Who says?"

"Me."

She blew a ring of smoke aimed at his face. "Well," She flicked her cigarette in between her two fingers. "I don't give a shit."

"You curse a lot, don't you, mudblood."

"Doesn't even faze me." She opened the window, causing all the smoke to leave the room and she tossed the cigarette out the window. "It bothers you. "She turned to study him. "Doesn't it, Malfoy?"

He glared at her. "Why do you care?"

"To be honest, I don't. Just wondering."

"Sure."

"Sure." She smiled at him.

"You're strange, mudblood."

"As are you, Malfoy." She flicked her artificial red hair behind her. "Lucius Malfoy used to smoke. I mean, Lucius Malfoy smokes." Draco looked at herwide eyed. "He smokes all the time. He smoked when he got out of Hogwarts, he smokes now, he just smokes." She nodded towards his arms which were covered by his robes. "Those angry marks on your arms are from when you stole his pack of cigarettes." She chuckled at his shocked face. "Please. It's not hard to figure it out. Your disturbed face when I started smoking, your disgusted expression when I blew that smoke ring in your face, but the fact that you did not cough at it - it suggests that you are used to it - and the obviousness of you adjusting your robes to cover the marks on your arms. And your father is an old drunkard." She sighed at the wide eyed face of Draco. "Firewhiskey on your sleeves."

"Little genius, are you?" He sneered. "Think you're so smart?"

She smiled. "Oh I _know _I'm smart." He jumped. He jumped for her throat, leaping on top of her, clutching her throat tightly. She wasn't disconcerted. She hadn't even blinked. "You're going to kill me, Malfoy? Do you really want to see your father so much? Get yourself a one way ticket to Azkaban?" He stopped, the crazed look in his eye so perfect that she wanted to take a picture and frame it. She laughed in his face, pushing him off of her. "I've finally hit a chord, haven't I?" He sat himself on the seat opposite her.

"He's in Azkaban. For being a Death Eater."

She smiled, pulling out her wand and creating flames with it. "Yes. Lovely Death Eater family you've got there, haven't you?" The train stopped. "Looks like we're here." She grabbed her trunk, kissed Draco on the cheek and left.

He saw her later, at the Slytherin table, laughing with Theodore - Theodore? He was laughing with her. Blaise was smiling. Pansy was, oh of course, frowning. He reached the table and sat down next to Pansy, allowing her to play with his hair as he didn't eat.

"Oh Draco, lovely to see you!" She shrieked. "Theo was just telling me about his little lunch with Slughorn." Winking at him, she turned to Theo, engrossed in conversation with him. Draco had never seen him talk this much.

After Dumbledore's speech, the Slytherins trooped down to their dormitories. Catching her in the common room before she ran off to Theo's room, he grabbed her.

"You never told me your name, strange mudblood." He hissed, holding onto her wrist.

She smirked. "And I don't need to, Malfoy."

"You know mine-"

"And you don't _need _to know mine." She blew him a kiss and ran off towards Theo who intertwined his hand in hers.

* * *

She was looking - no, wait. Scratch that. She had _always _been looking for love. For someone to spend her time with. She didn't expect to find it at school of all places. She was just looking for a fling.

But Theodore was more. He wanted more, she wanted less.

They were snuggling in the safeness of his bed, the curtains closed shut. Their noses touched, then their lips, then their hands, then their cheeks. Theo was quiet usually. She was usually loud. But he was whispering furiously now, telling her everything about him, and she was silent, listening. With a final word, Theodore soon fell asleep, his arm around her shoulder. She felt uncomfortable.

So she left.

She was surprised to see Draco in the common room. Sitting next to him in front of the fireplace, she sighed.

"Tell me your name."

She smiled softly. "Is it driving you crazy?" He didn't say anything. "Good. Craziness is good for the mind."

"Are you crazy?"

"Definitely." She said, looking into the fire. The flames were dancing on her eyes.

"What about Nott?"

"What about him?" She replied, not tearing her eyes away from the fire.

"Well-"

"Nothing's going to happen between us. He's cute, but I don't want him like that. He's your friend, isn't he?"

"... I don't think I have friends."

"Acquaintances. You have acquaintances."

"Alright. So what's your name?"

"Why do you care?"

"You know my name. It's only fair."

She smirked. "Who said I'm fair?" Stretching her legs, she grabbed a piece of parchment and started writing.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing a letter. What are _you _doing?"

"Moping."

She scoffed. "Oh please, Draco. Enough with the sob story and the hardships of being a Death Eater and how it's impossible to find a way to let the Death Eaters inside the school and trying to find a way to kill Dumbledore." She continued writing, not looking up.

"How did you know?" He whispered. She laughed.

"You can't be serious. You don't know?" He shook his head childishly. Smiling, she scribbled a few more words and then set aside the quill and parchment. "I'm a Death Eater."

"Since when?"

She let out another tinkling laugh, her curls flying. "Since when? Since forever. I was marked when I was about three."

_And they say I'm too young to become a Death Eater. _"Three? That's - "

"Young. Apparently my father didn't think so."

"Who _is_ your father?"

She laughed again, staring into Draco's gray eyes. "You don't need to know."

* * *

"I need answers from you," Draco growled one morning in the Great Hall.

Her eyes twinkled. "Meet me near the lake, in say, five minutes?"

She was sitting against the trunk of the large tree in front of the BlackLake, eating a piece of toast.

"So are you going to actually give me some answers?" Draco asked as he walked towards her.

"Hmm... a few." She conceded, swallowing the rest of her buttered toast. "Pull up some grass, sit down why don't you."

He did so.

"So, you wonder how I know about Lucius Malfoy?"

"My father, yes."

She smiled, albeit, in a forced sort of way. "Your father contacted me, the summer before last." She closed her eyes, her smile fading away, her composure stiffening. "Please don't yell or interrupt when I say this, promise me."

"Why?" He asked, alarm showing in his face. "Why, is it bad?"

"_Promise me._"

"Fine yeah, alright."

"So he contacted me, the summer before our fifth year. Said that he needed something done. To quench something of his. I thought he needed some work done or something. It wasn't that." Her eyes were still closed, but her mouth was moving seamlessly. "Apparently your mother wasn't up to his needs, so I had to step in. He was firm about it and-"

"Up to what needs?"

"In bed, Draco."

He paled. "What, he - he -"

"Yes. Not for money. He Apparated to my house when he knew no one was there, and I - willingly - did it. I knew the consequences if I didn't do it." She sighed again. "We had protection and everything. He'd smoke afterwards, and then leave as soon as he finished a joint." Smiling slightly, she took out her wand, playing around with it in one hand. "My mother would come home and wonder why it smelled of Muggle cigarettes. I'd tell her I was picking up another hobby." She chuckled.

Draco's face was still pale, his hands clenched. "How long?"

"Oh the rest of the summer."

"How long?"

"From July to August."

Draco made an expression of the utmost disgust. "What the fuck?" He bellowed, standing up. "_What the actual fuck?_ What is wrong with you? Is there something wrong with you? Is there something so disastrously wrong with you that you have to go fuck my father?"

She opened her eyes, staring up at Draco's sudden rage. "I _am_ sorry, you know. Your mother must've known, at the last Death Eater meeting. The way she looked at me."

"The fuck she did! Why did you have to know that? Why did you have to mess everything up?"

"I'm sorry." Her eyes meant it.

"The fuck you are!" He slapped her across the face.

"I'm sorry." Her eyes pleaded.

"Fuck you; fuck you so much, I hope you die in hell." He walked away in a rage, leaving her dejected and her cheek stinging.

As if he had enough to deal with. As if he had enough to think about. As if he could even look at her the same way!

What the fuck was he going to do now? What the fuck was he _supposed_ to do now? Send an owl to his mum?

_Dear Mum,_

_Just found out Dad was cheating on you with this girl in my House. Thought you should know._

_Love,_

_Draco_

Like his family sent letters to each other. Like his family even cared about each other.

_Of course you care about them,_ He snapped at himself. _You're doing this for them._

* * *

He was sitting in the library, a few weeks after the incident, fuming while trying to do his Transfiguration homework.

"Draco?"

He jumped. "Oh, it's you." He studied her face. Her cheek was still red from him slapping her; his heart skipped a beat and felt piteous. Her eyes were red and puffy from what seemed like a couple days of non stop crying. Her lips were dry and her hair was tangled and extremely curly.

She smiled. "Hello. Transfiguration homework? Would you like some help?"

His gray eyes glared at her. "I would never accept help from you, slut."

Her expression faltered a bit. "I didn't finish."

He whispered fiercely, "Oh yeah? What, does he come around at night and fuck you in your dormitory?" Her face was of the utmost horror and panic now.

"Draco, please, it wasn't that, and that didn't happen!" Her voice nearly rose to a shout, her cheeks flushing and her eyes flickering around the library.

At seeing her becoming unnerved, his expression softened, but only slightly. "So what was it then?"

She sat in a chair, sighing and leaning back, refusing to meet Draco's eyes. "I did it with him once, that was what he promised, I swear. But then he came over more often, more than a little talk with tea. He would Imperius me and then I'd have these large stretches of time where I didn't know what happened, and I'd freak out." She started to violently sob and then she calmed down after a few moments. "The only thing I'd remember would be your father pointing his wand at me, and whispering 'Imperio'. I wouldn't be able to hold him off. I mean, he was good at Duelling, so he Stupefied me first, and then as soon as I woke up, Imperiused me." She sighed. "I really am sorry."

"Doesn't matter; what's done is done." He then pursed his lips, closing his Transfiguration book and turning to look at her. "Tell me your name."

She smiled weakly. "Just because my emotional defenses are down doesn't mean I'm going to tell you my name." With a nod, she left the library, Draco watching her red hair wave as she walked.

* * *

"Good morning." She smirked at him at breakfast the next day. Her eyes were normal, her cheeks as pink as ever from the cold gusts of wind outside in the autumn chill, her hair was as glossy as it was before, no longer tangled and exceedingly curly. She bounced toward him as she smiled and she sat down, sitting tall.

"Oh hi." Draco looked up from his empty plate. "I wanted to-"

"Hey!" Theodore Nott was running towards them. "You!" He was pointing at her. "Do you-" He panted. "want to go to-" _pant_"- Hogsmeade with me today?"

She gave him a dazzling smile. "Sorry, no. I'm hanging out with Draco." As she treated herself to sausages and scrambled eggs, she said to Draco, "I wasn't kidding," She watched Theodore walk away dejectedly up the Slytherin table.

Draco turned to look at her. "Really?"

"Really." She smiled, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. When she saw Draco's reluctant expression, she sighed. "Draco honestly, do you really expect to stay holed up in this castle the whole year? You're young, you're healthy, you may as well have at least a little bit of fun."

* * *

Then she didn't talk to him for the next couple of months. Although he deluded himself into thinking that he didn't care about her and who she was and what she was up to, for the next five months – December, January, February, March, April – he kept wracking his brain about what he was doing wrong. Had he said something wrong at that Hogsmeade trip? Was he supposed to buy her chocolate from Honeydukes?

But then, on the last day of April, during dinner, she had met his gaze and gestured for him to join her. She grasped his arm and started to half-drag, half-walk Draco out of the Great Hall. Pulling Draco along, she merely smiled at him. She led him to an empty classroom.

"What are you doing?" He hissed. After she said nothing once they entered the room; "What are you doing?" He repeated.

"Draco, I'm leaving. My mother is pulling me out of school. Today." She paused, staring into Draco's gray eyes. "Promise me something before I leave."

"What?" He had looked away, her gaze too intense for him.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid." The door opened, and there was Professor Dumbledore.

"Ms. Morgana? Your mother is waiting."

"Yes, Professor. Thank you. I hope to see you again." A flicker of uneasiness passed through her eyes and her smile wavered. She turned back to Draco." Promise me."

"I-"

She was being pulled along by Professor Snape. "Draco, promise me!"

"But-"

She was gone.

* * *

"How has school been?" called a high, clear voice.

"Fine."

"Professor Dumbledore?"

No response.

"Well?"

"He's not my responsibility."

"Did you help the Malfoy boy?"

"Why should I?"

"You are a Death Eater. You help your equals."

"My equals? You call Draco Malfoy, a pureblood, an equal to me, a half-blood?"

No response.

After a few moments, "Morgana, take your daughter."

"Why did you talk back to him?"

"He's my father, why can't I?"

"Ma-"

"No mother. Don't expect me to be like him. Don't expect me to obey his orders. I didn't want to become a Death Eater. I don't. You and him made me against my will." She walked away, her cloak billowing around her as she walked quickly.

Tearing off her cloak, she ran up the grassy hill and stood at the top, catching her breath. A handsome owl was suddenly perching on her shoulder.

"Hello, beauty." She took the letter and watched as it flew away. On the top it was addressed to Ms. Morgana. Opening it, she read the letter:

_What ever your name is, Muggle born,_

_Why have you left so abruptly? Where are you? And is your name Morgana?_  
_You still haven't answered half of my questions. You need to give me answers._

_Malfoy_

She retreated down the hill, skidding, and once she was inside the mansion, she headed straight to her room, ignoring her mother's calls and her father's orders.

_To Whom It May Concern,_  
_You don't need to know anything._

She sealed it up, and threw it to her gray owl. "Go ahead, Columba." The owl caught the paper and flew off.

"Ma-"

"Fuck off!"

"Do not dare to disobey me."

"What did I say, _Lord_? I said that I didn't care."

"I will-"

"Kill me? Curse me? Like that Malfoy boy did? Torture me?"

Silence. "Perhaps."

"Oh fuck you."

"Don't-" She rolled her eyes and left the house. Running out into the garden, she remembered overhearing they might pull him out. They would be at home. Perhaps...

She Disapparated.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was in the process of avoiding his father when she heard a _crack_. _Another house elf, I suppose, offering me some snacks?_ He wondered. He walked out into the garden where his mother's purple hyacinths were growing nicely, but her cattails were withering. He was just about to water it, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Those are lovely."

He nearly screamed. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He hissed, earning a smile from her.

"Bored. Did you know that cattails are the sign of peace?"

"No. I've got a Death Eater meeting to go to and-"

She chuckled. "Skip it."

His eyes goggled. "Skip it, are you mad?"

"Quite certain I am, but you don't have to always remind me." She said, mockingly pouting.

"Are you being serious?"

She stared him down, her smile fading away. "Of course I am."

"I will honestly die if I skip one." He tried skirting around her, but she kept walking in front of him. "Please, could you-"

"Do this for me. I'll tell Voldemort-" He winced, but she ignored it. "-and he'll understand. I promise you and your family won't get in trouble. Please. Do this for me. This one favor, and I'll walk out of your life."

Draco was still skeptical. "I don't-"

She was grasping his hands, her glare intense. "Draco, I promise this. I promise that your family will not be harmed. I will."

"But-"

"_Do this one thing for me._"

He sighed. "Alright. Fine."

She let go of his hands, and he frowned slightly. Noticing this, she looked away, and said, "Do me a favor?"

"I'm already doing the biggest favor already."

"Get me a pack of cigarettes and a lighter."

He sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "Listen, I-"

"I will tell you almost everything, if you do this for me." She promised, talking out of the corner of her mouth.

"Fine."

She Disapparated.

* * *

"Darling?" Her mother called frantically.

"Yes, mother?" She sighed from the garden.

"What are you doing? We're about to head over to the Malfoy Mansion, and-"

"I won't be attending, mother."

"No, Ma-"

"I told you, I'm not like _you_." She raced upstairs to her bedroom, shutting the door. Grabbing a jacket, she Disapparated once again.

"I got it for you," Draco panted, holding a pack of Muggle cigarettes and a green colored lighter, while sporting a fine black eye and a cut lip.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get hurt."

"It's fine," He grunted. She reached to examine it. "It's fine!" He barked. Her arm froze, an inch away from his lip. The two of them stared frozen like that, but time still moved on, and birds still sang, and the clouds in the sky were still moving.

"Draco?" A voice called from inside."

"Shit," They both whispered to each other, her arm lowering down, his eyes widening.

"Should we-"

"Let's just go." She grabbed the cigarette and lighter, shoved them in her pocket, and grabbed his hand. "Side-Along."

"You've-"

"Draco, darling, where are you?"

"I'll tell you most everything; let's go." And with a loud _CRACK_, they Disapparated.

"Draco...?"

* * *

She took them to a children's playground. The colors were much too bright, the sound of laughing children too loud, the sun heating the ground.

"Why are we here?" Draco asked, his face in agony.

"Do you feel sick?"

"Yes."

"There's a rubbish can right over there."

Bounding over, his hand on his abdomen, he stuck his face in the garbage and started throwing up. She smiled as she leaned against the pole connecting to a few swings. When he resurfaced, he was pale and a bit of spit was hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Wipe your mouth will you."

"Piss off." But he did so with his sleeve. "So will you tell me everything?"

She turned away. "I used to come here. When I was little. I wasn't very good at making friends so I kept to myself. Pretended that a twig was a wand and that I was an exceptionally good witch." She chuckled to herself. "I didn't know that I was accepted into Hogwarts then."

"You said you were going to give me answers."

"So ask questions."

"What is your name?"

She sat down on a swing. "Pass."

"You said-!"

"I said I would tell you most everything, not everything."

"Who is your father?"

She smiled sadly. "Would you really like to know the whole story?"

"Yes."

"My mother went to school with your father. They weren't friends, per se, but they knew each other and they nodded at each other when passing through the corridors. When they both got out of school, they would talk to each other every now and then. It was your father who introduced my mother to the Dark Arts and Death Eater activity."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not done." She started swinging back and forth, slowly. "Anyway, she got branded and she was having fun. Fresh out of Hogwarts, what else could she do? She liked Tom Riddle and Lord Voldemort. At first, he wouldn't have it. He wouldn't be tricked by a witch like my mother into drinking a love potion. But she didn't want that. She wanted real love. Then it clicked in his head that he was going to have to have offspring to carry on the family name of the Slytherins. So he went out with my mother and soon they got married and here I am." She stopped swinging, digging her heels into the sand. "He married a pureblood, which is what he always instructed to his dear Death Eaters. My mother, Cassiopeia, she didn't - _doesn't_- care about blood purity. She wanted a whole family. She wanted a perfect life."

"Did she get it?"

"Do you call being married to one of the deadliest wizards of all time a perfect life?"

"Right."

They stood - or sat, in her situation - in silence. "Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"I've - I've never seen you before this year."

She cracked a smile. "I was accepted in Hogwarts. And I did attend. I've been at the school ever since you have. You just never noticed."

He shook his head, more to himself than to her. "I've had my eyes wide open these past five years, and then the year that I don't notice anything, you're there."

"Yes," She grinned even wider. "Strange, isn't it?" Grabbing the cigarette pack in her pocket, she took one out and lit it. The end lit up, and smoke escaped from her mouth. "Anything else?"

"Your name."

"Not just yet."

"Your father loves you?"

"Not in the slightest bit." She flicked her cigarette and the ash fell to the ground. "Just because he let my mother fall in love with him and have me to carry on the family name, does not mean he cares for me. He cares for his immortality and his soul. That is all."

"Fuck," Draco murmured staring down at his Dark Mark.

"Ignore it."

"Used to it, are you?" He asked, wincing slightly as he shoved his sleeve down just as a few Muggle children ran past them.

"Yeah. I skive off the meetings whenever I don't feel like going. Which is almost always."

"Does my mother know that you and my father were..."

She looked at him, staring at her as she exhaled another gust of smoke. "Yes. I've asked her and she responded with yes. I've explained it to her, and she's understood. She's not happy about it, but she understands."

"It's just shit, all of it."

"Yeah," She sighed, puffing out more smoke.

"Why did your mother take you out of school?"

She threw her cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. "Oh no, it wasn't my mother who did it. My father did. He decided that his needs were greater than mine. But I'll be going back."

"Yeah, me too."

She eyed him carefully. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

He shrugged, kicking the ground. "Dunno. You're a Death Eater, I'm a Death Eater. I probably shouldn't trust you."

"You shouldn't," She agreed, standing up.

"So where are we?"

"Muggle place. Somewhere near London. How 'bout lunch, hm? My treat."

Draco shook his head. "I dunno..."

She grinned. "C'mon, while we're here we might as well make the best of it, eh?"

The two of them went to a Muggle restaurant, Draco glaring everyone in the vicinity while she smiled and ate and talked.

"My mother used to own this place. She liked Muggles. She liked the Muggle life."

Draco chewed his pasta. "Did she hate being a witch?"

She smiled, setting down her glass of water, and sat back. "Oh no, she loved it. I mean her whole heritage, her whole family was a pureblood wizard or witch, how could she hate it? Her family isn't like yours, one that practices the importance of a pureblood family. They didn't care about blood purity, not really." She picked up her fork and fished some noodles onto it. "How about you?"

"What about me?" He asked skeptically, staring at her.

"Do you hate being a wizard?"

He looked into her eyes. "I don't know."

She smiled, if only slightly. "What are you looking for in there?"

"You."

"I'm not going to tell you my name, if that's what you're thinking." She looked away, propping head up with her elbow on the table. "I hate being a witch. It's not like I hate being in Hogwarts, because I love Hogwarts. A place where I can finally escape my father. But not for long... I hate it because of everything my father did. Everything that my father did and will do. And I know I'm to die in the process."

"He's going to kill you?" He exclaimed, gathering stares from others around him. "Sorry."

She smiled wider. "Oh that's quite alright. But yes, I suppose he'll decide that his needs of immortality will be greater than the needs of the Slytherin family tree."

His eyes boggled for a moment, but then softened. "Oh yeah, the Dark Lord's the descendant of Salazar Slytherin." He shoved his plate away. "Can we leave?"

"And get punished quickly? Yeah, that's not going to happen." She waved over a waiter and asked for the check.

As soon as the waiter left, Draco leaned forward and asked, "So what's it like living with the Dark Lord?"

She frowned. "Are you really asking that question?"

"Yes."

"Well," She slapped a Muggle note on the table, and grabbed her jacket. "I'm not going to answer."

The two of them left the restaurant, Draco still ambivalent to the fact that they were skipping a Death Eater meeting.

"Do you want to go back?" She asked angrily as he asked for the millionth time when they were going back. She shoved a tenner in his hand and pushed him away. "Go, why don't you! Leave!" She stomped away, Draco trailing after her. He chased her to the same park they saw that morning.

Grabbing her wrist, and spinning her around, he cornered her underneath a children's slide. She was forced to stare back at him, her lips so close to his.

"You may be the daughter of Lord Voldemort-" He shuddered,"-but you can't treat me like complete shit. What the hell is wrong with you? You're messed up! You fuck up my family, sleep with my father, skip a fucking Death Eater meeting, and you're the daughter of the darkest wizard ever. So let me ask you one more time, _who are you_?"

She blinked, only staring. "Alright fine, I'll leave." He let go of her hand, turned around, but then thought better. He turned back around and placed his lips on hers.

The effect was instant. Her hands wrapped around her neck, his on her hips. But the moment was cut off too soon, the warmth of his lips leaving.

"Fuck, sorry." He whispered, his breath heating up her collarbone. Looking down at his watch, he saw that it was already six o'clock, almost dinner time. "I have to go."

"I'll take you." She smiled, holding his hand. They spun on the spot and Disapparated.

"Well," She said, "we're here. I'll see you back at Hogwarts." She turned to leave.

"Wait. Is your name Morgana?"

She smiled. "That's my last name." Nodding at him, she spun on the spot and Disapparated with a soft _pop._

* * *

Draco turned back to Malfoy Manor where Death Eaters were leaving the mansion and Disapparating. After the last wizard left, he walked inside to a sweating Narcissa and gruff-looking Lucius.

"Boy!" He barked, causing Draco to wince. "Where were you?"

"Fell asleep upstairs, I guess."

"You guess?!" He snapped. "Where are my cigarettes, boy?"

Draco glared at his father. "Why should I know? You'd be better off without them, wouldn't you?"

"Draco-" Narcissa started.

"No mother!" Draco shouted. "Father should know how bad these stupid Muggle things are."  
"Don't tell me what to do!"

"Then go ahead and die of lung cancer, or whatever it is Muggles call it these days!" He snarled, shoving between his fuming father and his worried mother.

"Draco, darling-" But he had already stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to his bedroom.

He growled at the reflection in the mirror and broke it into shards with his hands. He ran around his room, screaming obscenities, kicking dressers full of clothing, pushing over trinkets. He finally fell to the ground in front of the glass shards, hearing the shouting coming from the next room.

"Lucius, please-"

"Do what I want, woman!"

"Get _off_, Lucius!"

"Narcissa, do this for me!"

"_Get the fuck off of me!_" Draco could hear Narcissa cast a curse and Lucius started screaming. He screamed without taking a breath. Then, Lucius stopped, catching his breath, whispering for Narcissa. But the front door was already slammed shut.

Then he came running into Draco's room, huffing heavily. "Do not speak of this to anybody." Draco said nothing, staring out the window. "Do you hear me, boy? Do not speak of what happened to anybody!" He said nothing still. Lucius grabbed Draco's shoulders roughly, turning him around, and slapped him. A red welt soon appeared on Draco's cheek. "Do not tell a goddamn soul." Lucius turned him back around to face the window. "I'm going to a friend's house."

Before Draco could realize what he meant, Lucius had already Disapparated. Draco, grabbing his wand and a sharp object, he Apparated to her house, wherever that was.

He appeared in front of a garden facing a window that he supposed was hers. The window was moving, the glass shaking with the screams of a young woman and the vibrations of the demands of a full grown man.

"NO! GET OFF OF ME! FUCK OFF!" Draco heard her scream.

"SHUT UP!"

Draco's eyes widened, and he barged into the house, running up the stairs. He kicked open the bedroom door where Lucius Malfoy was standing over her, her wand knocked to the side. She was wide eyed, scrambling to get up. But Lucius had stamped his foot on her wrist, forcing her to stay down.

"GET OUT!" Lucius rumbled, the floor beneath Malfoy's feet shaking.

"Get off of her," Draco said, his voice firm.

"No."

"_Get off her._" His voice was dangerously calm as he raised his wand.

Lucius laughed. "Are you really going to hex me, boy? Do you have the _heart_to?"

Draco's hand shook, but he nodded. "You're a complete coward. You can't even save your own family, let alone your pride. You're going to die of liver failure and lung cancer. Your own wife doesn't want to love you, your son hates you, and you can't love. You can't protect. You're _nothing._" Lucius' face was contorted into anger and he raised his fist, bringing it down upon Draco's face. Draco fell, his wand tumbling out of his hand. He rose after a few moments, his nose bleeding and a red mark on his jaw. He kicked Lucius in the groin, causing him to fall to the floor, groaning loudly. And for good measure, he Stupefied him before Draco faced her and nodded, wiping up his nose. "You okay?"  
She nodded, getting up, her blouse half open. She buttoned up her shirt, tears spilling down her cheeks, her hands shaking. She looked at Draco. "Thank you. So much. For saving me. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there."

He nodded, shrugging off his jacket and draping it around her shoulders. "Are you okay now?"

"I suppose I will be." She shivered, staring at him. "Thank you." There was a loud _CRACK_ from inside the house. Lucius must have Disapparated to some pub to drink off his shame.

He shrugged. "I'll get going, let you get some rest." But a hand reached up for his and he turned back around.

"Seriously. Thank you so much." She smiled sadly, letting go. He nodded, deciding to take a walk.

He recognized where he was from a long time ago when his parents were thinking about moving somewhere else. Narcissa had led him to this modest house in a Muggle neighborhood. Draco questioned the surrounding community of non-magical people and she had simply responded with, "Safe." But no, they didn't choose to live there, but in Lucius' much too large, much too dark, inherited house.

* * *

By the next week or month or day – she didn't really know; she didn't keep track of time - she was safely situated in her dormitory. It was a Sunday. She over heard the Gryffindors talking about the Quidditch practices happening and how Harry Potter was the captain of the team. Dressing up in her warmest robes and her comfiest scarves, she headed down to the Quidditch pitch, sitting away from everybody else. Although she didn't particularly like or dislike the Gryffindors, she still applauded them for their enthusiasm at Quidditch. Slytherins only played Quidditch to smash the Gryffindor's pride.

After it ended, she tried leaving inconspicuously, but a voice called her back. "Hey, wait!" She turned around to see a tired Harry Potter dressed in his Quidditch robes. He jogged up to her. "You're not in my House, are you?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Yeah, I thought so. Which House are you in?"

"S-Slytherin."

Immediately, his lips pulled into a frown. "Oh. Are you trying to sabotage our team?"

"Oh no! Not at all! I don't mean to cause any harm to you or your House." She smiled, turning around and leaving; she could practically see a puzzled look crossing over his face, even though she was facing away from him, her back facing him.

Still wanting to enjoy the bright, chilly day, she headed down to the Black Lake, sitting underneath the tree where the giant octopus was.

"So you're back too, eh?"

She turned her head, grinning at the blonde haired boy. "Draco. Good afternoon. Sit down with me." He did so, their shoulders touching staring out at the serene lake.

"You know what I have to do, don't you?"

"Yes." She pulled her scarf closer to her chest. "You don't have to do it."

Draco looked at her, incredulous trying to study her masked face. "I figured it out."

Her face whirled around to look at him, her expression one of horror. "No!"

He ignored her. "It's the Vanishing Cabinet. There's one in Borgin and Burkes and one here in the Come and Go Room. It was broken but I fixed it."

"Draco, no!" She shouted again, this time standing up. "No, no, no! You can't help him succeed!"

Draco stood up as well. "You don't understand! He'll kill me if I don't do it! He'll kill my family! And as much as I hate my father, I still care!" He whisper-shouted.

She shook her head, her hands clutching onto the fabric on his jacket. "Draco, he will kill me if you succeed. He will think that although continuing the family line will be nice, achieving immortality and owning and having killed Dumbledore on his terms is better." She avoided his shocked expression, instead training her eyes on his collarbone. "I don't want to die," Her voice shook on the word "die". "I want to live. I want to live to see another day. I want to live to see myself graduate and become a person that people can trust. I want to live so I can see your face day after day." Then she flung her arms around Draco's neck, burying her face in his chest. Draco, not expecting this, froze before he put her arms around her.

"I'm sorry," He whispered into her hair. "I can always just… break it again."

She let out a watery laugh, tears falling down her cheeks onto his coat. "No it's fine. I'm bound to die anyway, even if you didn't succeed." She pulled away her arms, wiping away her tears, managing a shaky smile. "It's fine." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"What?"

She grinned, one of her old flirtatious grins. "We have class tomorrow. Remember?" Turning around and heading towards the castle, Draco stared after her. He smiled despite himself before he collapsed at the base of the large tree, tears rushing out of his eyes; his hiccupping sobs wracking his body.

* * *

She was sitting at the Slytherin table at dinner time when she noticed out of the corner of her the stares she was getting. She shook her head, instead focusing on the wonderful meal in front of her. Then, Pansy Parkinson slid down to her, her face one of immense disgust and hatred. "You really hurt him, you know. He's sobbing. He's crying. He's _heartbroken._ All. Because. Of. You." She snarled.

She frowned, just as she's chewing a bit of steak. "Oh uhm. What did I do?"

"How the hell should I know, skank?" Lovely Pansy slid back up the table.

She shrugged, returning to her meal and seeing Draco Malfoy, red eyed walking into the Great Hall. His eyes met hers and she smiled before seeing that he started to bawl once more and he left the hall. Dropping her fork and knife, she rose from her seat at the Slytherin table and ran out of the dining hall. She caught up with him at the boy's lavatory.

"Draco?" She called softly.

He sniffed, his hands clutching onto the sink. Slowly he turned around, his hair sticking up in all directions. Had the atmosphere not been so tense, she probably would have smirked and laughed at his hair. "Hi," He muttered.

"Hey," She walked towards him slowly, taking his hand in hers. "You alright?"

He nodded, staring down at his feet. "Please don't touch me," He whispered.

"Is this about yesterday?" He said nothing, tears continuing to silently drift down his pale face. Using her thumb, she wiped away his tears. "You don't have to be like this about it. It's okay. Draco, look at me." She tipped his head up to look at him better. "Everything is going to be alright. Even if I do die-"

"Don't say that!"

She plowed on. "-even if I do die, you'll get on with your life. Nothing will change. You will be fine."

"I won't."

"If it makes you feel better, I'll confess something to you." He said nothing, only staring down at the sink. "He's not my real father, you know. He only adopted me to carry on the family tree." She walked away from him, leaning against one of the bathroom stalls.

"Who is your real father then?" He said quietly.

She shrugged. "I have no idea. All I remember when I was little was of a man drowning himself in a cloud of alcohol and cigarettes."

He chuckled softly. "Sounds like my father." She smiled at him, turning to leave the room.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do with your life, Draco," She murmured, her back facing him, her body blocking the entrance. "but, please… don't do something that you'll later regret." She turned around. "You know, I loved you from afar. Ever since fourth year. I was so jealous of Pansy and all those other girls…" She laughed, whether at herself or at the memory she was remembering. "And for a minute, during fifth year, I thought I might've seen you with Granger…" She shook her head, a smirk tugging at the side of her lips. "If I survive tonight, I will tell you my name. I swear it." Then she turned around, and left the lavatories.

* * *

That same day, when Draco recollected himself and put his tie back on, he headed back into the Great Hall. Then he saw her. Katie Bell. Bright and fine and healthy and _innocent_. And idiot Potter was there, talking to her and goddammit, he couldn't handle it. She could have died. She almost died. Fuck. He broke down, his gaze meeting Potter's and then he panicked. He raced back to the bathrooms again, pulling his tie off and popping the button off his shirt to get some air, he just needed to _breathe, _was that too much to ask? Then tears began to fall down his face, hiccupping sobs wracking his body. And before he knew it, he landed up in the Hospital Wing. _She didn't even visit, _He thought as he stood up and slipped into his shoes.

* * *

Well, reader, I suppose you know what happened next. The battle at the Astronomy Tower happened that night, courtesy of Draco Malfoy and his Vanishing Cabinet. Albus Dumbledore was struck with death by Severus Snape and not by Draco, for he could not bear for his soul to be split apart and he could not bear to have the weight of murder on his brittle back.

Draco was not evil. He did not strive to live in the dark. He was just an innocent, naïve boy who was forced into the world of his parents' and of the Dark Lord. He wanted to live. He did not want to die at the wand of a man who wanted to achieve something that is fictitious. He wanted to live to see another day, to see the cattails in his mother's garden. He wanted to see the sign of tranquility and prosperity once more.

* * *

They were all waiting. Some patiently, some impatiently. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named sat at the head of the polished wood table, staring ahead, not bothering to listen in on his Death Eaters' hushed conversations. His red eyes looked over at his adopted daughter, her moderately curly scarlet hair flowing over her shoulders and down her back. She sat across from Draco who stared up at the body in midair. Her mother sat on her right, while lovely Bellatrix Black, cackling something to Dolohov or Rookwood sat next to her on her left.

"Where are they?" She demanded, the whispered voices now falling silent, the Dark Lord turning to look directly at her.

"Darling-" Her mother started to reprimand.

"No, Morgana. It is fine." He turned his eyes on hers. "I do not know why Yaxley and Severus are not here yet. It is not my fault."

She scoffed, sitting back in her chair and twiddling with her wand. She set it inside her dark robes, then looked up at Draco who kept sneaking a peek at Professor Burbage.

Ms. Burbage's face was strewn with cuts along her cheeks, her forehead, her nose and her chin. Her eye sockets were sunken in, her hair a tangled mess. It was clear that she had been tortured, excessively.

"Draco," She whispered, and his eyes snapped to hers. "You can't help her."

"I know, I…" He seemed at a loss for words as he stared up at Ms Burbage once more. She sighed, resting her chin on her folded arms on the table.

"Yaxley. Snape. You are very nearly late." And it was with this greeting of the late-comers that the Death Eater meeting at Malfoy Manor commenced, and she decided to drown out the snide remarks, cold thoughts, and quivering voices for the rest of the meeting, keeping her expression blank and bored.

"_Avada Kedavra._" And it is with this incantation that she came out of her daydream, several Death Eaters nearly falling over, the head of Draco disappearing under the table, his chair thudding onto the floor.

"Draco!" Narcissa called, bending down to help him up. Voldemort's daughter stood up, tiptoeing to see whether Draco was alright. The rest of the Death Eaters began to stand up and leave the manor as Nagini began her feast on the Hogwarts professor.

"Wait!" Voldemort called, his followers freezing. _This is it, isn't it_, she thought. Crawling under the table, she stood up, on the other side of the table and face to face with Draco.

"What?" He said, confused and scarred by the death he just witnessed. She met her lips with his, kissing him for as long as she could, her arms encapsulating his in a tight hold.

"Sit down," Voldemort said, gesturing to his Death Eaters.

She released him, breaking away. "My name is Mania." He smirked a little, still puzzled by her kiss and her sudden answer of that question said so, so long ago. Draco looked quizzically at her. "I was named after a Greek god. My mother. She's stupid."

"Let us witness another death shall we?" Mania heard this and knew she had only seconds.

"I love you. If I could live a whole lifetime, I would marry you. Right here. Right now. I would if I could, but I can't. I love you so much, I hope you know that." She whispered hastily, seeing Narcissa's furious glances at her. She kissed him quickly once more. "I love you so much."

"Love is useless," Voldemort sneered, pointing his (now borrowed) wand at his red-headed daughter. Oh how he remembered he had done this before! He had pointed it at a stupid, foolish red headed girl trying to protect her son with _love_. "It cannot protect you from death or famine or poverty. Love cannot protect you at all."

Draco saw the wand and tried to let Mania know. "Mania," Her name rolled on his tongue. He hoped he'd have enough time to say that name over and over and over again, under blankets, over blankets, in a park, while holding a child. "Mania, please, you have to move."

But she ignored him. "This is how I want to remember you. Trying to save me. With that smirk on your lips. With that look in your eyes."

"What look?"

"Of love." She closed her eyes and smiled her flirtatious grin, just as the green light hit her and with the ghost of a grin on her lips, Draco and Mania fell onto the floor, Narcissa crying out, Cassiopeia only staring on in shock. Her only daughter was gone now. Dead. Killed by the person who promised would treat her well, who promised to protect her. Draco froze, holding Mania's limp body in his warm arms.

"Mania, wake up, please, please." He sobbed, a little voice in the back of his head whispering that she was gone. He had seen the curse hit her. She was gone. Forever. And she welcomed it gladly. Tears and waterfalls alike – he couldn't tell the difference – began to pour down his face. Cassiopeia began to shriek and scream her head off, the other Death Eaters now staring on as the scene unraveled in front of them; some sat in shock, some in helplessness, some in confusion, others in complete madness (Bellatrix), and one in apathy (you know who).

"How could you!" Cassiopeia yelled, her shaking finger pointing at Voldemort. "I trusted you! I trusted you! You were going to keep her safe!"

"She believes in love," He snapped. "What a foolish child. Much like that stupid Mudblood."

Draco could see Severus' leg twitch. "Her last word was love." He whispered into her hair. "She said she loved me."

"Draco, you must let go."

"No."

"Draco please," His mother pleaded. "She is gone. It's been hours."

Draco did not notice how cold Mania's skin was until now. It hadn't felt like hours. The chairs were empty, the remains of Ms. Burbage discarded, the sky now light.

* * *

Mania Morgana's funeral was just before school started up again. She would have been a seventh year. Everyone was dressed in black except for Draco. He wore fancy formal robes. When asked by his mother why he did so, he replied that Mania would have liked him like that. All dressed up as if going to a wedding. Her wedding.

"Maybe she could have stayed behind as a ghost, mother!" He said as they were walking towards the grave site. "We just haven't looked for where she is!"

"She died in our home, Draco," Narcissa replied, her voice weary, her eyes worn down. "Wouldn't we have noticed a ghost wandering around our home?" Draco fell silent, all excitement gone. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine…" They reached Mania's tombstone where her casket was. There was his father, Cassiopeia, Theodore Nott, and Pansy. She'd only been invited because Mania's mother could not get her daughter to shut up about her. Even Lord Voldemort was there.

It started with a pastor talking about how Mania was strong and kind and helpful.

_Bullshit_, Draco thought. _If we're being honest, she was a complete bitch. Manipulative. Deceitful, confusing, annoying. She was nicer towards the end because she knew that she was at the end._ He sniffed in distaste as Lucius spoke of how she was very nice and helpful. Cassiopeia spoke in a broken and weak voice through tears. She talked of how her daughter was bright, kept to herself, and albeit a precocious and moody daughter, she did not deserve to die in such a way. With this last sentence, she threw a dirty look at Voldemort who only looked on coldly and indifferently.

After the speakers, the casket was lowered into the ground and Cassiopeia threw a handful of dirt onto the casket.

"She was only sixteen." She bawled, tears running freely down her cheeks now. Narcissa wrapped her arm around her shoulders and pulled her away from the casket. Then more handfuls of dirt cover the casket until it was buried.

Draco looked at the tombstone. It read:

_Mania Morgana_

_Born October 30th 1980_

_Died July 27 1997_

_Take my advice and live for a long long time because the maddest thing a man can do in this life is let himself die._

Draco smiled in spite of himself. He walked next to the still sobbing Cassiopeia and asked, "Did she pick that quote?"

She nodded.

"It's a nice quote."

She nodded again.

Taking his wand out, Draco took his wand and waved it in circle on the ground, a wreath of flowers appearing. Then, from inside his robes, he took out a cattail from his mother's garden and set it down with the wreath of flowers.

"Draco-" His mother chided.

"Just wait." He said, turning to Ms. Morgana. "Cassie? Is that alright if I call you that?"

She nodded, clutching a handkerchief to her cheek.

"Why did you name her Mania?"

She let out a shaky breath and sighed. "My mother before me was in love with Greek mythology. It was all Muggle studies and I thought it idiotic until she named me after a constellation." She chuckled softly. "So I thought I ought to name my daughter a god or a goddess from Greek mythology. Mania is the goddess of panic and craze."

Draco smiled. _Fitting._ "But why name her crazy?"

"Her father was an eccentric Muggle. Near the end he went crazy. She seemed more like him than me. Ever since the beginning. She had his laugh. Plus, her adopted father was the Dark Lord." She nodded towards the flying mass of black up in the skies. "I thought it appropriate. She's had to deal with this foolish venture of _his_ ever since she was little." She smiled at Draco and Narcissa. "Thank you for coming. Good day." She walked off the opposite direction from the tombstone and Disapparated.

"Draco, come now." Narcissa's cool voice said to Draco.

He let one tear fall onto her grave and he whispered as he left the graveyard, "You still owe me my jacket."

* * *

_Twenty Years Later_

"Shall we drive there, Draco?" Astoria Greengrass asked as they loaded Scorpious' trunk and owl cage.

"Might as well. But you drive. Muggle transportation puzzles me…" He smiled at his wife, brushing back his blonde hair.

"Scorpious!" Astoria called. "Let's go now! You don't want to be late for your very first day of school!" A little boy that looked like Draco came running out of the house and running towards a grinning Astoria. He came up to her waist and had the same attributes as his father – he had the same pale skin, blonde hair and pointed chin.

"I'm so excited!" He yelled as they all got situated inside the car.

"Astoria, how do you work that?"

"There's a gas pedal and a brake and this is a wheel and…" Her voice trailed away as Scorpious said,

"Can you tell me about your girlfriends, dad?"

Draco met his gaze in the rearview mirror. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, are you sure?" They pulled out of their driveway. "That's going to be a really short story, Scorpious, just warning you!" He laughed.

"Pleaaaaaaase?"

Astoria and Draco looked at each other as they reached a red light. "I suppose," He said.

She grinned. "Go ahead. I wanna hear this."

"Alright. There was this girl named after a Greek god, and she was a mystery…"

The Mark had not harmed him for twenty years. All was well.

* * *

_A/N: So yeah! I hope you like this! This is the first fanfic and the first story I've written that I'm really really proud of so, I hope you like it. Don't forget to comment and review!_

_~Andrea_


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